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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the government funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the incident were shared to the press and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for demands for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|